Virtual Wineries

When I think of a winery I envision rows and rows of grape vines. Driving down a country lane between the vines and coming upon a building ( commonly called the winery) where the wines are made.

Well take a reality check by true definition a winery does not need a vineyard. A winery is simply a place were wines are made. Wikepedia states A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company.

But what about a virtual Winery ! Virtual breweries are not new but Its the current buzz word for winemakers who use some else's facilities to make their own wine and place their own label on the wine. The winemaker may work independently of the winery where he/she makes their wine or they may actually be employed by the winery.

Virtual wineries are a North American interpretation of the Old World French tradition of wine négociants. Négociants are merchant-vintners who purchase grapes or pre-made wine from growers and then blend, bottle and sell it under their own name. Some better-known virtual wineries in the New World would be from the United States: Underdog Wine's Big House, Fish Eye and Cupcake to name a few. A major New Zealand winery, Kim Crawford, got its start as a virtual winery.

In Ontario back in 1990s Deborah Paskus and Stephen Temkin were among the first winmakers to start their own label using rented facilities, producing their lavishly rich Temkin-Paskus Chardonnay Also Ontario we have Leaning Post Wines and Nyarai Cellars (Steve Byfield). Recently you have Twenty Twenty-Seven Cellars. Allan Jackson and Andrew von Teichman make wines from various Niagara vineyards for their Union virtual winery.In British Columbia we have Sawmill Creek and Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery, Sola-Nero and Copper Moon Which are just Branding names used by some of the bigger wineries like Vincor and Andrew Pellers. Let us not forget Sandhill made a Calone Winery in Kelowna owned by Andrew Pellers. Another big name is Black Cloud. Black Cloud is the personal label of Bradley Cooper winemaker for Township7.

Carlton Winemakers Studio in Oregon claims to be the nation's first "green" cooperative winemaking facility. The studio, which is a partnership between Eric Hamacher, his wife, Luisa Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards, along with Ned and Kirsten Lumpkin of Lumpkin Construction in Seattle and Lazy River Vineyard in Yamhill, promises to be an archetype for Oregon's wine industry.

The facility was built in 2002 by a team of visionary winemakers and vineyard owners. Their intent was to build a facility that could provide a location for artisan winemakers to produce quality wines without the prohibitive overhead associated with creating individual winemaking facilities. The result was that and much more. The studio was the first winery in Oregon to register with the US Green Building Council

August Cellars also in Oregon produces about 2500 cases per year and is an Alternating Proprietorship facility; home to six other wineries: Artisanal Wine Cellars, Crowely Wines, Barking Frog, Et Fille, Laura Volkman Cellars and Toluca Lane. The operation is similar to Carlton Studio

In British Columbia the Okanagan Crush Pad will be the Okanagan's home for other virtual wineries, offering a custom crush facility for small wineries that can benefit from shared resources. It began with the open of Haywire Winery owned by Christine Coletta, and her husband Steve Lornie.

The 7,750 square foot Okanagan Crush Pad Winery is located on a 10-acre property in Summerland, BC, known as Switchback Vineyard. The winery is located at the north-west corner of the property and is built partially underground. The facility is not open to the public, but is designed as a co working space for winemakers to work side by side to share ideas and to collaborate. The design aesthetic ‘less is more' is expressed in the state-of-the-art wine cellar with exceptional wine as the outcome. The look is clean, crisp, and modern.

So what is the bottom line here. Are the wines good. Of course they are! The number one factor is where do the grapes come from. The secret to making good wines is good grapes. The winemaker may add his or her special touches and by doing so they provided you with choices.
If your looking for a tour among the vines and a fantastic tasting bar Virtual wineries may not be the way to plan your trip.

BC Wine and Grape Industry

Fact Sheet

 

 

·       The BC Wine Industry’s $2.0 billion economic impact is a significant driver to the BC economy.  For every bottle of wine produced in the Province, there is $42 of economic impact generated.

 

·       More than 10,000 people have jobs in BC as a result of the wine and grape industry.

 

·       British Columbians enjoy more than 234 million glasses or 47 million bottles of British Columbia wine each year.

 

·       BC welcomes over 800,000 visitors every year through the wine economy, that is more than the province drew for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

 

·       The BC Wine Industry generates $476 million in tourism and tourism employment related economic impact.

 

·       More than $298 million in federal and provincial taxes and liquor board mark up is generated by the wine industry in BC each year.  In taxes alone, the BC Wine Industry contributes $222 million.

 

·       BC Wine Economy has 212 wineries and over 864 vineyards on more than 9,800 acres of land.

 

source  wines of British Columbia

Complications of Wine Language

Have you ever found yourself surround by friends or even strangers and been asked "how do you like the wine" Your mind searches for those wine terms, the wine language you read about in wine reviews.

"I like the rich fruity black cherry and smokieness in the nose and the even bitter finish." Is this the description that flashes through your mind. You want to say. "It's Good I like it." Well go ahead, say it! Wine tasting does not have to be complicated. You do not have to extend the boundaries of the English language to describe the wine.

I have never understood "bright black fruit with anise dill and leather notes." Bright is a term that describes light not taste, anise dill I understand, anise can be described as having a licorice flavour, leather denotes hmmmm okay. What if someone described the wine " with a touch of olive and saddle leather" Would you know if it was good or bad. Is a wine supposed to have a leather flavour?
What about tobacco? Descriptive term, used by some, to describe a flavor component resembling the taste of raw tobacco leaf in the finish of certain red wines. Seems to mainly apply to Cabernet Sauvignons from Bordeaux, France or the Napa region of California. " Cigarbox " is a common term often used as a near synonym especially if a cedar-wood note in the aroma is detected. (Non-smokers may have trouble with this word and its implication).

Perhaps I'm just a simple guy who likes his wine and prefers to say.. I like this wine. Its good. Most enjoyable. an easy drinking wine with fruity flavours

Don't be intimidated by the language of wine. Simply describe the wine as it tastes to you. Allow your senses to react to the wine. Wine is to be enjoyed. The wine language is unique but you do not have to know it or refer to it in order to enjoy the wine tasting experience.

The following article from the Wines of Michigan * website

The Simple Pleasures of Wine by Joe Borello
The topic of wine is fascinating and often times emotional. It is a simple agricultural product, yet many have a tendency to shroud it in mystery and complexity. It is important to realize that wine has been placed on dining tables for centuries as a natural beverage that serves as a pleasing and logical companion to food.

Few other products offer as much diverse subject matter as wine. Interests range from cultivating personal vineyards, visiting the actual property of a winery, collecting wine labels, building a wine collection of fine wines, to simply taste-testing different wine styles with friends.
Wine also combines instinctively with an interest in food. Many professional and amateur chefs are wine hobbyists because good cuisine demands wine both as an intricate seasoning ingredient and as a basic component of the dining table. Keep in mind that like food, it is important to create a point of reference for what you may like in wine. As time goes by and your tasting experience grows you will notice subtle differences in your preferences, It is helpful to seek information from others, but don't be intimidated by their opinions.

Although many hours could be spent studying the finer points of wine, it is best enjoyed as an uncomplicated subject. So, what is the best way to enjoy and learn about wine and food? The experts tell us there is no substitute for personal tasting experiences. Through taste comes the acquisition of knowledge. What better way to acquire knowledge then by visiting local wineries or gathering with a group of friends for a wine and food tasting? As you taste and compare wines you will find that not all are pleasing to you. Wine, like food, is made in many different styles to satisfy different tastes. It is up to the individual to choose the wines that best suit a personal palate and pocketbook. In North America we are fortunate to have over 900 winery tasting room facilities in which to experience a variety of tastes and styles of wine. Many of these wineries have educational tours and videos of the facilities and the winemaking process. Knowledgeable winery representatives then guide visitors through enchanting tasting tours of nature's fruit of the vine.


*this article was edited to fit our website. Permission to use the article was obtained from Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council.

Icewine
Do I love Icewine! Yes I do !

My experience with Canada's amazing drop of golden liquid began in the 1990s.
We recieved a sample of wines from one of Ontarios Niagara-On-The-Lake wineries.
Included was a bottle a Vidal Icewine. At that time we had never tasted this precious wine.

Sadley we did not enjoy the wine. It was too thick and tasted like syrup.  For the next ten plus years my wife and I avoided the product. Since icewine is rather expensive its not a wine to buy for a second change.

We did not try icewine again untill 2004, the year we traveled to Ontario and the Niagara wine region
It was at the home of Icewine  Inniskillian that we were offered the opportunity by Deb Pratt to tatse their icewine. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was so good.

Ever since then I have been a true fan of Icewine and have enjoyed many icewines from various wineries across Canada..Our website has six pages on Icewine.  These pages are our most visited.
They are also perhaps the most quoted pages on various websites, blogs and news articles around the world

Visit us www.winesofcanada.com

Sometimes it’s not easy running a website that features over 700 wineries, meaderies and cider houses. It is a challenge!  Not as big a challenge as the winemaker / winery owner must go to be successful. In today’s world of social media, the successful winery must adapt to the  forces of Social Media.  

Today’s social media includes Facebook, Twitter, websites , bloggers and numerous other platforms. We jumped on to the  new website trend  twenty years ago. There were far fewer wineries and the majority did not have websites. No one had heard of Facebook or twitter. We were there ,to except the Challenge, and introduce Canadian wines and wineries to the world.

With over 700 hundred wineries, meaderies and cider houses and the number growing the task of reaching out to all of them becomes more difficult. We only ask that the winery takes a few minutes to answer or initial question sheet so we may list them on the site. We also try to contact the winery once a year ( it use to be twice) and keep us posted on changes.
After twenty years of success there are still some wineries that cannot find the time to help us.

 

Grape researcher Robert Murphy says Wines of Canada is a great site to promote provincial wines to the world and to acknowledge special individuals connected to the wine industry. Robert Murray
 
Thank you for undertaking such as project as your wonderful website of winesofcanada" : David Craw president of the New Brunswick Grape Growers Association

 

You have a tremendous website. It's the encyclopedia of Canadian wine. Bryan McCaw

 

Today we use Facebook, Twitter and our website to help promote the wineries of Canada. We are a Social Media force that promotes our wines and wineries 24/7.  But we sure could use a little more support from those wineries

Visit us
www.winesofcanada.com

PS we also run www.winesofwoi.com

 

The perfect Hot Chocolate

 

Here is my method for making the perfect hot chocolate. It begins by placing two healing spoonfulls of
chocolate powder into a 12 oz cup. Now you add your fortified beverage; if you prefer add  hot milk or boiled water. Add just enough to make a paste. Now fill the cup half full of hot milk or boiling water.
Now add another spoonful of chocolate powder and mix..  If you have lumps change powder brands.
Continue to fill the cup leaving room to add either your fortified beverage to taste or whip. You may of course add both.

The milk and water must be hot enough to avoid producing lumps but please becareful and allow the
hot chocolate to cool before adding the whip cream. I strongly suggest you whip the cream yourself
Canned cream fades away quickly.

Happy New year!

The Power of the Pyramid

 

Kelowna is home to the Pyramid which resides on the grounds of Summerhill Pyramid estate winery
One of the oldest and most respect wineries in Canada. Its founder and owner Stephen Cipes first visited the Okangan in 1986 and believed he'd found unique conditions to produce "intensely flavoured small grapes"--the perfect base for sparkling wine. Cipes brought grape clones from France and "personally planted them on my hands and knees

At Summerhill the wines are stored in the Pyramid. The Summerhill Pyramid is second only to the Great Pyramid of Egypt for alignment and precision.  Mr Cipes says

The message is profound. We have a twenty year experiment proving the effect of sacred geometry on liquids with a twenty year track record of international gold medals. My goal from the beginning was and is to make the finest wine in the world, especially sparkling wines. The French tradition of putting sparkling wines in a dark cool place for thirty days for the cuvee and dosage to ‘marry’ was my original inspiration to achieve this goal. The wines are made using only minimal intervention winemaking, and grown 100% organically in this extraordinary pristine semi desert valley, and the clarification in this True Pyramid is the final step in production. These are alive wines full of nature’s grandness, made in the most unique winery in the world.

 Summerhill is a Certified Organic Vineyard using no herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers in the soil. In 2012 they achieved Demeter Biodynamic status. The wines are made under the direction of esteemed winemaker Eric von Krosigk.

In another first for the winery is pleased to share that they added a nitrogen generator to their production cellar just in time for the 2012 harvest, with the goal of reducing and/or eliminating the use of sulphur dioxide as a preservative in winemaking.  

Sulphur dioxide (a sulphite) is known to cause allergy-like reactions to people that are sensitive to this compound, so it is hoped that these reactions can be minimized. Using nitrogen in sulphur dioxide's place will also allow Summerhill to keep wine fresh in tank almost indefinitely, allowing much more flexibility with environmentally-friendly bag-in-box packaging, kegs, and with their acclaimed multi-vintage sparkling wines.   

Additionally, it will add environmental and cost advantages, with the winery not having to purchase and transport nitrogen in tanks.  This new generator provides the extra benefit of reducing the need for climate control in the winery, thereby conserving energy.

You can count on the team at Summerhill to provide outstanding wines, innovative thinking  and hospitality